As PENN Entertainment points to a November national rebranding of its sports betting platform to ESPN BET, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission Thursday found itself a bit perplexed.
Commissioners questioned why PENN had not yet submitted a “detailed explanation” of its relationship with ESPN ahead of the planned change, and staff attorney Catilin Monahan stressed that the rebranded platform could not launch in Massachusetts until the commission signs off on it.
With 12 days left in October and the next MGC meeting scheduled for Nov. 2, time is getting tight for approval in time for PENN’s November rebrand under its new partnership with ESPN.
After MGC Commissioner Nakisha Skinner suggested that discussing approval of the rebrand was premature, Chair Cathy Judd-Stein said: “I’m waiting for the ask [from PENN] unless there is this notion that there doesn’t have to be an ask. I’m wondering why we haven’t received a request, and I am wondering where the disconnect is.”